The Grecians beat Brentford in the previous round of the competition on Tuesday, August 9, but had faltered in League Two with three defeats from their opening three games. However, a win away at Accrington Stanley on Saturday came as a massive boost and Sweeney says the pressure has now lifted off the players and they are going into the clash with Hull City in buoyant mood.

“The pressure has lifted a little bit after getting our first three points on Saturday,” he said. “I think, on Saturday, we got a little bit of luck and the performance was good so it is starting to come together and we are looking to take that into the game against Hull.

“It is exciting and I think all the boys are looking forward to playing against a Premier League side. They have just got promoted last season, so it will be a tough game, but we are all looking forward to it.”

Sweeney admits to having watched highlights from Hull City’s games this season – with the Tigers beating English champions Leicester City and Swansea City in their opening two matches. A lot has been made of Hull’s problems in the summer – with their manager Steve Bruce quitting before the start of the campaign after he was left with a very small squad.

However, Sweeney is not taking them lightly at all. He knows they will be a tough opponent to beat.

“Listen, they have got quality players because they got promoted from the Championship last season,” he said. “We know they have got quality, but we just need to worry about what we do and concentrating on getting a result and I think we will be alright.”

Sweeney is pleased to see that ticket prices for the game have been kept the same as the previous EFL Cup match at home this season when City knocked out Championship side Brentford. Adults can get into the ground for £15, students £5 and under-18s £2 and Sweeney feels this will help build a bumper crowd for the match.

“Hopefully that attracts as much people as possible to the game,” he said. “We want to play in front of big crowds and that will give us an extra five or 10 per cent on our performances. Hopefully it is an even better atmosphere than the game against Brentford and an even bigger crowd. We will see tomorrow.”

So what does Sweeney think will be the key to causing an upset tomorrow night?

“Listen, it is a game of football and there are going to be chances; there are going to be mistakes,” he said. “I think if we take a couple of our chances, like we have been creating the last few games, then we will win. But, we will see how tomorrow goes. It will be tough.”